Stafford Properties Inc. of Atlanta executed a lease Friday for the big box chain to open in its Target Center, a Stafford official said.

The 216,562-square-foot retail complex was built by Stafford and opened about 10 years ago on U.S. 278 east of Bluffton Road (SC 46) and outside Bluffton town limits.

The publicly-traded (NYSE:DKS) Dick’s Sporting Goods, based in Pittsburgh, Pa, will go into space vacated about 2.5 years ago when the tenant, Goody’s, went bankrupt.

“They will take the existing 30,000 square feet and then, in addition, we’re putting 10,000 square feet on the back to bring it up to 40,000 square feet,” said Will Euart, director of leasing and development of Stafford Properties.

Stafford will also remodel the interior and change the façade, in basically a turn-key operation, Euart said.

An opening date is not set, but Dick’s could open by Nov. 1, 2012, if not sooner, said Euart.

A spokeswoman for Dick’s declined immediate comment Monday, including on how many employees might be hired.

“It’s been vacant for about 2.5 years now, a year of which we really couldn’t do anything because Goody’s was in bankruptcy and basically we couldn’t do anything with the space until we got it back from them,” Euart said. “I’ve been working on this Dick’s deal probably about 16 months.”

‘GOOD SIGN’

Bluffton Town Manager Anthony Barrett said the Dick’s landing was encouraging economic news.

“It is a good sign with the economy in the shape it is in when a corporate chain like Dick’s Sporting Goods is considering our area, whether in the county or within the corporate limits of the town,” he said.

“Where a corporate store goes, you usually have other corporate followers. Not a week goes by that we are not contacted by a developer of some sort. It is no longer a best-kept secret Bluffton is open for business and encourages economic development.”

PERMITTING PROCESS STARTED

The redesign and construction project is going through Beaufort County’s Southern Corridor Review Board process to get design, signage and landscaping approvals, a step needed before getting development and building permits, said Tony Criscitiello, Beaufort County planning director.

“It was given conceptual approval at the Nov. 16 meeting,” said Judy Nash Timmer, Corridor Review Board administrator. “They will have to come back again for a final (review and approval). There will also be landscape installation and revisions,” she said.

“Everybody’s excited I think,” she said. ““They got a ‘good to go’ on their architecture.”

Stafford’s architect is CNNA Architects Inc. of Atlanta.

For the façade modification, “They’re going to change it up some to meet more of what the Dick’s Sporting Goods typically looks like,” while blending with the surrounding architecture, Timmer said.

THINKING OUTSIDE THE BOX

“It’s smaller than their typical store,” Euart said. “I think it has to do with a couple things: One, that the (Bluffton-area) market is a little smaller than they have typically done in the past. And two, I think that most smart retailers are realizing that the way to survive in this economy (is) they’ve got to think outside the box, and making their stores smaller is a good step … in terms of lowering their cost for rent.”

Dick’s Sporting Goods has been on an expansion kick and opened 19 stores in the third quarter, growing to 474 stores in 42 states as of Oct. 19, according to a Nov. 15 Dick’s news release on third quarter results. The stores total about 26 million square feet — for an average size of 54,852 square feet.

“They’re certainly in growth mode, and they’re one of the few big box retailers that is right now,” Euart said.

“Their company history is really interesting,” he added. “The patriarch basically started it as a bait and tackle shop …. Then when his son took over, he kind of built this into an empire they have right now.”

Dick’s website says Dick Staak started the business in 1948 in Binghamton, N.Y., with $300 his grandmother gave him from her cookie jar. When the salesman told her his fishing gear business plan had been shot down by his boss, she told him to “always follow your dreams.”

From Bluffton, the nearest Dick’s is about 62 miles away by Citadel Mall in Charleston. The next nearest Dick’s are 70 miles away in Summerville and 80 miles away in Brunswick, Ga., according to www.dickssportinggoods.com.

Euart also expects Dick’s will attract tenants to several vacancies at the Target Center, which includes the strip with Giuseppi’s and La Hacienda restaurants and other small businesses between Bluffton Road and the Holiday Inn Express. A Target Center outparcel closer to U.S. 278 includes Starbucks and Honey Baked Ham.

ABOUT DICK’S

Dick’s Sporting Goods Inc. is an authentic full-line sporting goods retailer offering a broad assortment of brand name sporting goods equipment, apparel and footwear in a specialty store environment. The company also owns and operates Golf Galaxy LLC, a golf specialty retailer. As of October 29, 2011, the company operated 474 Dick’s Sporting Goods stores in 42 states, 81 Golf Galaxy stores in 30 states and e-commerce websites and catalog operations for both Dick’s Sporting Goods and Golf Galaxy.

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